Improvement in bee-hives



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER P. REEVE AND CHRISTOPHER C. PARKER, OF CENTRAL CITY, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVE'S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,815, dated August 8, 1871; antedated August 3, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, OLIVER P. REEVE and CHIsTorI-IEE C. PARKER, of Central City, in the county of Putnam and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bee-Hives; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, and in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of our hive; Eig. 2, a side or front view thereof; Fig. 3, an end view of the same; and Fig. 4, a view of 011e of the comb-frames detached from hive.

This invention relates to an improvement in bee-hives; and the nature of the same consists of the parts of which it is composed when constructed and arranged substantially as hereinafter shown and claimed.

Similar letters in the several gures indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawing, A represents the easing of the hive, to which are hinged the doors B B at one side or end, the opposite end thereof being supplied with doors similar to B B, also. The casin g or receptacle A is divided into four general compartments, and these into four upper and four lower sections or chambers, by means of a transverse and a longitudinal partition, a al, extending its entire height, and a horizontal partition 0r floor, c2, secured in or at its center, with its ends projecting a short distance beyond each side of the said casing, affording a support or resting surface for the bottoms ofthe upper ones of the doors a3 a3. c3 a3 represent doors or boards sliding up and down in grooves formed by the sides ofthe casing, and strips or flanges a4 c4 fastened thereto and covering the opening a5 c5 for the ingress to and egress of the bees from the hive. These doors are supplied with openings, over which are placed and secured the wire-gauze ventilators a6 a6. C C are the moth-traps, consisting of blocks constructed on their lower sides with transverse recesses or cavities extending through their entire width, and beveled or inclined on their upper surfaces or sides, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the upper extremity or eminence of said inclined surface being brought in contact with the longitudinal openings b b of honey-boxes D D. The manner in which the moth-traps C C are constructed will have the tendency of misguiding the moth in attempting to enter the honey-boxes from Ythe fact that they will mistake the opening in said traps for the bee-opening in the honey-boxes, and in so doing become e11- trapped in the chamber at the rear of the trap, into whichvthe passage formed by the opening in said traps terminates, they being prevented from reaching the bee-opening by means of the bevel cut on the said blocks or traps. D D designate the honey-boxes, of the shape shown in the drawing, and supplied at the `vortex of their bottoms with openings b b for the admission to and exit of the bees from the honey-boxes. The honeyboxes D D are supported upon the pieces d d secured to the interior of the casing A, as shown. D Dl are the surplus honey-boxes, located upon thehoney-boxes. E E are the comb-frames, which are constructed substantially as shown in Fig. 5. By means of so constructing the comb-frames the bees will be allowed to pass between them and the sides of the honey-boxes and between each one of the series of frames ordinarily placed in honey-boxes, thereby facilitating the operation of the bees in making honey. Apertures are cut in the sides of the honey-boxes and the longitudinal partition al for the purpose of allowing the bees to pass from one cell or honey-box to another. F is the feeding apparatus, constructed as shown in Eig. 2.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

A bee-hive, consisting of the casing A, partitions 60,601, and a2, doors B B and a3 c3, honey-boxes D D, supports d d', moth-traps C C, feeding apparatus F, surplus honey-boxes D D', and combframes E E, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have hereunto set our hands in Vthe presence of two subscribing witnesses. 

